1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a broadcasting signal receiver such as a television signal receiver (hereinafter, TV receiver) or a radio signal receiver (hereinafter, radio receiver). The invention concerns especially a broadcasting signal receiver having a user interface which makes it easy for users to operate the receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional broadcasting signal receivers, especially TV receivers, have many features and various functions. The more features and functions a TV receiver has, the more control knobs and dials for selecting programs or controlling or adjusting picture and sound qualities are necessary. Most modern TV receivers have remote controller which makes such selections, controls and adjustments easier.
In such a conventional remote controller, for instance, there are 10 keys, up/down keys and toggle keys. Because there is not enough space to distribute such control keys for the exclusive use of individual functions, each key is manually or automatically changed the function correspondingly to the using conditions so as to be used alternatively for a plurality of functions. For example, 10 keys are utilized for preset and selection of programs and selection of pages of teletext. Because there are many broadcasting stations which can be received in a same area, however, it is difficult for a user to remember the correspondence between broadcasting stations and program numbers so that it is troublesome to select a desired program with 10 keys. Similarly, page selection of the teletext with 10 key is also not so easy.
Therefore, the up/down keys can be used for sequentially selecting programs or pages of teletext. The up/down keys are also used for sequentially adjusting a value of each parameter of picture or sound quality and for entering the data of such as alphabet and other characters or symbols to add or change the names of programs. The toggle keys are also used for selecting one to be operated from a plurality of functions and parameters.
In order to make such up/down keys and toggle keys used easier, on screen display control has been introduced. As examples, in case of program selection, while the program list including all receivable broadcasting stations is indicated on the screen of the TV receiver, respective programs are sequentially distinguished from the other by, for instance, blinking, highlight, or a different color with the sequential operation of the up/down keys. When the desired program is distinguished, the selection of the desired program is made by depressing a confirmation key. In case of parameter adjustment, a plurality of bars each representing a value of a parameter are indicated on the screen. When a parameter to be adjusted is selected in turn by the toggle key so that the bar of the selected parameter is distinguished from the other not selected in a similar manner as the program selection, the length of the bar is varied correspondingly to the value or level of the parameter adjusted by manipulating the up/down keys.
Such selections, adjustments or controls by the up/down keys or the toggle keys and by a limited number of keys, however, cause the user confusion or inconvenience. For example, when the user presses the up/down keys or the toggle keys with the intention of selecting the desired program or parameter or more generally the desired function, it happens frequently for the user to presses the up/down keys or toggle keys so many times as to pass the desired function, whereby the user has to keep pressing many times again until the desired function is obtained and it takes rather long time. Furthermore, when analog value of each parameter is changed in proportion to the times of pressing the up/down keys or the time length to keep pressing the up/down keys, there is a shortcoming that it takes also rather long time to adjust each parameter, if the value of the parameter should be changed greatly. Besides, there are possibly some invalid keys for controlling some functions and such invalid keys may disturb the operation of the functions.
Furthermore, because almost of all operations are performed by depressing the keys in such conventional remote controllers, in case that an operation is accompanied with an indication moving two-dimensionally on the screen, for example, in the picture-in-picture (hereinafter, PIP) mode whereby a so-called sub-picture is inserted into a so-called main-picture and both pictures are displayed simultaneously and the location of the sub-picture is changed within the mainpicture, it is inconvenient to the user that the key operation does not always adequately match with the movement of the indication on the screen. Moreover, because the locations or directions where the indication can move are limited in accordance with the key operation, it is practically impossible to design so that the indication can be located to an arbitrary place on the screen.
In user friendly TV receivers as disclosed in "Bewegung statt vielet Tasten" Funkschau 18/25 August 1989, Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 1-236896 (Sep. 21, 1989), U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,843, European Patent publication No. 0462428-A (an equivalent of Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 4-35365), Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 4-48895 (Feb. 18, 1992) and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 4-72996 (Mar. 6, 1992), the advanced remote contoller has no up/down keys to be manipulated anymore. When the remote controller is moved or rotated, the sensor installed within the remote controller or installed in the TV receiver side detects the position, the movement or the angle of the remote controller, according to which the cursor indicated on the screen is moved upward, downward, leftward or rightward. When the cursor is located on the indication of the desired program or function on the screen, if the confirmation key or control member arranged in the remote controller is depressed, the selection of the desired program or function is completed. The indication form of the menu for control on the screen is, however, limited and the above described conventional control system does not satisfy the user.